Why I Blog...And My New Diggs

Welcome!!!

As you can see I gave the ole blog a digital facelift this weekend. I have decided to take this adventure a teensy bit more serious, and the need to seem semi-professional has arose.   

In an effort to share a little history with you, I want you to know that I started this blog in January 2013.  I love to write and for years I let my insecurity stop me from sharing my love with others.  Through the encouragement from other women that I respect and adore, I decided to give it a whirl, just for fun.  That was 8 months ago.  Within that eight month period I have had over 20,000 views on this blog.  (This number is not very large in the "blogosphere", some people have 6 million views a day)  But nevertheless to me, as a stay-at-home mom of 3, that's a wholelottaviews!!!   People have viewed my posts in Thailand, Germany, Canada, South Korea, China, India AND many other countries.... the vast majority of views have been from the United States, but coming in second is RUSSIA?!!  I think I know 2 people from Russia... and to those of you who are reading from Russia, Привет!

So, within 8 months my words have visited over 8 countries and have spoken to over ten thousand people... wow, I am speechless.  (not really... I am still typing. hehe)  Seriously, though, I  started trying to process the distance that this blog has gone and I was so humbled.  I sit here amazed that through blogging I have the opportunity to speak truth into the lives of so many.  I have never had the opportunity to reach that many individuals or people groups in that short amount of time, EVER.

Last night I was able to attend a conference where I listened to women speak to the importance of blogging, social media and writing within this generation of both believers and non-believers.  Throughout the evening my frame of mind suddenly shifted and I became intensely aware of the enormous impact that blogging can have, and then I realized the weight of my words and the responsibility, as a follower of Christ, that I had.  Within the strokes of my keys lies the power of life and death, the same power that Proverbs 18:21 speaks of, "Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose." 

And I must CHOOSE to type those words that give life, to be the salt and to be the light to people peering through laptops and iPhones throughout the nations.  I am choosing to open my heart to those afraid to ask hard questions, to those embarrassed to be struggling, and to those who need both the grace and truth of Jesus Christ.

And to my fellow believer:
You too are held to a higher standard when it comes to social media; whether it be Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Blogging...etc.  Others are watching, others are questioning, others are searching... and when they come across your corner of the internet do they find words of life or death?  Do they find pictures of a life of HOPE, secure in Jesus Christ, or do they find someone who is looking for security in others approval?  Be reflective, think about who you represent... and why?  It really does matter.

Titus 2:1-6 out of the Message says...

(I LOVE THIS HEADER...)

 A God-Filled Life

2 ^1-6 Your job is to speak out on the things that make for solid doctrine. Guide older men into lives of temperance, dignity, and wisdom, into healthy faith, love, and endurance. Guide older women into lives of reverence so they end up as neither gossips nor drunks, but models of goodness. By looking at them, the younger women will know how to love their husbands and children, be virtuous and pure, keep a good house, be good wives. We don’t want anyone looking down on God’s Message because of their behavior. Also, guide the young men to live disciplined lives.

And where it says... "BY LOOKING AT THEM..." today, as women in 2013, we must insert "by reading their Facebook and Twitter updates AND by looking at their Instagram"... because guess what, they are looking!!  Since we know this, we must take advantage and we must take responsibility.

It matters because... "We don't want anyone looking down on God's Message because of their behavior".

We are covered in grace because of Jesus Christ's death on the cross, yet if we believe in Him and follow him, our one and only purpose on earth is found in the Great Commission when Jesus says in Matthew 28:16-20

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

So. I realized through this small space, from my living room, sitting on my couch, God has equipped me to "GO"... And he has equipped YOU too.  If we should have boldness in any area, it should be in the "GOing", the "Disciple Making" and the "Baptizing"... because we are NOT alone, Jesus himself said, HE IS WITH US.  In authority he calls us and with grace he is with us.  Always.

And if you have ever considered writing a blog, DO IT... especially if you are reflecting the power and love of Jesus Christ in your life.  People are going to read something, and they might land on YOU.